Oil Painting

Painting Class
Fruitport High School
A Jacobson Production
 History
The western world
credits the discovery
of oil paint to Jan van
Eyck around 1410. A
Flemish artist was the
first to make the paint
pigment and oil
formula using linseed
oil. Prior to this most
paint was egg
tempera.

The Arnolfini Portrait, 1434.

National Gallery, London
 History
After van Eyck, several
painters made
improvements on the oil
paint formula, artists such
as Michelangelo, Da Vinci
and Titian among others.
These secrets remained in
Italy throughout much of
the Renaissance period,
thus creating the
supremacy among Italian
Renaissance paintings.

Assumption of the Virgin

Year: 1518 most famous oil
painting create by the artist
Titian
 Vocabulary
Before using oil paint, it is important to know
what it is. Oil paint is a mixture of pigment and
linseed oil; therefore it should never come in
contact with water, which will ruin your paint.
Oil painting has several words that you must
learn prior to getting started with your brush
and canvas.
You will find there are a lot of vocabulary and
rules to follow.
Following the rules will avoid you having a
muddy mess on your canvas.
 Vocabulary
Gesso- A plaster-like material spread upon a surface
to prepare it for painting.
Pigment- refers to color or hue.
Palette- A rectangular or oval-shaped flat surface used for
mixing colors. Also refers to the selection of colors used by
an artist.
Linseed Oil- The primary binding agent in oil
painting made by pressing the seeds of the flax plant.
VARNISH safeguards the painting from harm and
enhances the color. Once your painting is totally dry
( 4-6 weeks) you apply a thin coat of varnish over the
entire painting.
 Vocabulary

Turpenoid-or Mineral Spirits: used to thin oil

paint.
FAT this describes the oil content in paints, oil
paint straight out of the tube is FAT.
LEAN Oil Paint from the tube mixed with Solvent to
reduce the oil content .
Fat over lean means that each succeeding layer
of paint should have more fat oil than the
preceding layer. If you are painting in an indirect
method (working in layersratherthan all in one go
alla prima) you need to adhere to this rule to
prevent cracking.
 Vocabulary

Underpainting the initial stage or

first layer of an oil painting commonly
executed using a monochrome or
dead color as a base for the
composition
Saturation- The greatest possible
intensity of the color.
Stretcher- The wooden frame on
which canvas or paper is stretched.
 Vocabulary

Impasto the texture created in a

paint surface by the movement of the
brush. Impasto usually implies thick,
heavy brushwork.
Scumbling- Dragging paint in a
broken manner over a previously
painted dry surface.
Glaze- Transparent painting over a
light under-painting.
 Why Oil Paint?
Many people shy away from oil painting
before trying it because it seems
intimidating. I cannot argue with that; oil
paint can be a tough medium to work with,
but with the right tools and knowledge,
anyone can do it.
Oil paint is a beautiful medium, and the
buttery glosses, thin luminescent glazes,
and rich colors just cannot be achieved with
any other painting medium in my opinion.
 Why Oil Paint?
Oil paintings often possess an
unsurpassed richness, depth and
luminosity that lends itself well for
capturing highly realistic objects and
scenes.
It is very permanent and is the
longest lasting of types of paints an
artist can use.
Hiroko Sakai Fine Art Gallery
Original Artwork by Japanese Artist
Hiroko Sakai
GOLDEN RULE OF OIL PAINT
Oil paint is very thick directly out of the tube, and
must be made thinner for the first layers using
mineral spirits or turpentine, and a blending
medium such as linseed oil or poppy oil for later
layers.
The rule is 'Thick on Thin', and this prevents later
cracking or separation of layers.
WRITE THIS DOWN.
Paint THICK over THIN & FAT over LEAN
Oil paint straight from the tube is FAT
Oil paint straight from the tube mixed with just oil is FATTER.
Oil Paint mixed with thinner makes the paint LEAN
Layers of a Oil Painting

Best way to apply color is in layers with each one

being oilier than the one below- this will allow the
paint to dry properly
Stretching Canvas Demonstration
 Stretching Canvas Demonstration

Before you start to stretch a

canvas it is recommended that
you watch this video on the
Weebly :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=FZdr2rgyD1g
Stretching Canvas Demonstration
Stretching Canvas Demonstration
Stretching
Canvas
Demonstration
 Steps to Oil Painting

1. Build your canvas

2. Sketch
3. What is the value? Lightly draw in changes of value
4. Rough in the composition with vine charcoal. Use burnt sienna and oil
with a fine round brush to draw in the rest of the composition
5. Block In or under paint broad areas of base color. Use a large flat
brush. Dont worry about detail. Mix paint from tube with oil so it is
thin or LEAN
6. Detailing: Gradually as you progress through your painting it is best
to pull out smaller and smaller brushes. Start working with thicker
FATTER paint to add in detail. Some artists prefer to work from top to
bottom so they dont smear the paint.
7. Be sure to maintain a consistent color pallet through out the painting.
8. Always clean your brushes.
 Correcting Mistakes:
. You have about three days (while
the oil paint is wet on the
canvas) when you can alter any
mistakes or
Best way is to remove them
completely with a damp rag.
Dont try painting over with thick
paint-
bring in rags from home to wipe
off a mistake. This will leave a
big smear but it will dry faster
and can be painted over later.

You can also scrap off

thick paint with a pallet
 Correcting Mistakes:
.
Less is more, dont overwork a oil
painting, it takes too long for the
paint to dry. Be sure to apply thin
areas of color and never try to Paint
Over mistakes.
 When You Need to Save a Color

Sometimes it is necessary or desirable to save a mixed color to

be used again later. In order to do that, you have to stop it from
drying.
These methods of preservation are all ways of keeping air away
from the paint to prevent it from drying.
Foil packs for smaller amounts of mixed color will preserve a
color for years. Use tin foil and fold paint up into it. Seal out
the air and label the color.
Plastic wrap can be put over your colors and the palette
frozen. This will preserve the colors for about ten days.
Plastic wrap can be put over your palette and will preserve the
mixed colors for up to four days. This is best on a glass
palette.
Put paint is a small cup with lid and a few drops of linseed oil.
 Cleaning Up
Clean your brushes and your palette with
THINNER.
Brushes should be cleaned between colors and at
the end of each painting session.
First wipe off any excess paint on the hair or
handle with a rag.
Then swish the brush in citrus thinner until all
color is gone.
Dry the brush with a clean rag.
Use baby oil to remove oil from your hands. Wipe
off with towel then use bar soap.